The Unlikely Saviour
by pyishan
Summary: The Imperium had defeated Abaddon's infernal 13th crusade at a great cost. Now weakened and beset by an internal schism unseen since the Horus Heresy the Imperium faces its greatest challenge. In desperation the Emperor looks to his past to find a saviour. Who will this saviour be and what part will he play in Emperor's future plans for the Imperium? Same universe as Text to Speech
1. Origins of the Cadian Heresy

**This story was not just written by me. It was started by my good friend Pascal and we have just started writing this. This story will explore the current situation through the perspectives of different people not just limited to the timeline of the 41st mil. So there will be a lot of jumping around perspectives in this story. Please leave some reviews we would like to know how to improve it better.**

 _It is the 41st Millennium. For more than a hundred centuries The Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth. He is the Master of Mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die. Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the Warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will. Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defence forces, the ever vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few. But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse. To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruelest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods._

The 13th Black Crusade's dark tendrils had cut off Cadia from the rest of Imperium. Abaddon's damned traitor legions and crazed cultists had smashed through the defences of Cadia with renewed vigour. Although his ultimate goal of breaking through the Cadian Gate had failed, he nevertheless gained foothold. A costly but significant victory. The defenders of Cadia held onto their Kasrs through their unshakable faith in the God Emperor of Mankind and the tactical genius of the Lord Castellan Ursarkar E Creed. Even then it was evident in the deepest fears of Cadian High Command that Cadia would fall under the renewed assault of Abaddon's damned legions. Clearly Cadia could not push back the forces of Disorder on her own, even with the massive Imperial armies still on the planet's surface. It was only a matter of time and patience for Abaddon to finally break the fortitude of Cadia's defenders and strike the heart of Holy Terra to dispose the hated Carrion Lord of the Imperium. The galaxy will finally burn.

It was in the face of damnation that the Imperium of Man in a final act of desperation did what many would consider heretical and unthinkable: they directly allied themselves with the despicable and manipulative Xenos known as the Eldar. The Eldar too were in no situation to refuse the help of the xenophobic Imperium of Man. If Abaddon's forces of Chaos were to break free of Cadia and kill the Emperor of Mankind it would lead to the creation of a new Eye of Terror, one that would have dire consequences for the dying Eldar race. In addition, the Astronomican would fade away and mankind would be left shattered, alone in this hostile galaxy at the mercy of the Dark Gods. A desperate alliance had to be forged, and wasting no time, both sides gathered whatever reserves they had to push the forces of Chaos out of the Cadian Gate. The Eldar craftworlds Ulthwe, Iyanden, Biel-Tan and Altansar amassed their forces under the leadership of the great Phoenix Lord Maugan Ra and the farseers. The Imperials on the other hand had gathered the might of several Astartes Chapters including the Dark Angels, Imperial Fists, Ultramarines along with the Imperial Guard, Sisters of Battle and the forces of the Holy Inquisition. It was a gathering of the military might that had not been seen since the start of the Emperor's Great Crusade. Despite this highly versatile and powerful force that outmatched the greatest Crusades, the predictions from the Emperor's Tarot were grim. It had predicted a victory would come but at a great cost to the Imperium.

The forces of Chaos had not only their near endless hordes that dominated the Cadian landscape but also a significant naval presence that could knock back the combined Imperial and Eldar fleets. This in turn would leave the Cadian defenders truly isolated and open attack from both Abaddon's hordes and the Chaos fleet. The allied forces knew this but pressed on with the attack. What other option was there? Civilization as they knew it hung in the balance, if they were going to save it, now would have to be it. And by the Emperor did they fight. Wave upon wave of Imperial and Eldar ships were thrown at the Chaos fleet, and eventually, broke Abbadon's naval forces. Naval victory came at a terrible cost though, as only half the troop transports had survived. Nevertheless they carried on, landing behind enemy lines, and soon launched a coordinated attack with the Cadian defenders to attack the forces of Chaos from two sides. Trapped, the fanatics fought to their last breath, making sure that for each fallen Chaos servant, ten more servants of the Carrion Lord and the despicable Eldar would be murdered in glorious fashion, all in the name of the Chaos Gods. Painfully and slowly the tide turned and in several decades the Chaos attackers were slowly crushed until there was nothing but dust and blood left. Abaddon in his last breath unleashed a terrible curse upon the Imperials, one that would stir the greed and pride of men and plant the seeds of doubt. If he could not break the Imperials, he would at least make them suffer. And suffer they did, as the Imperium, despite it's titanic victory over Chaos, was struck by a new threat. After years of clearing up the dust and confusion, the Imperial leaders stationed in Cadia blinded by their pride and greed decided to overthrow their overlords as they saw that the Imperium had been weakened and could not retaliate with its full might. The great victory at the Cadian Gate would later amount to a bloody civil war that had not been seen since Horus's betrayal. With the defeat of Abaddon's forces came the terrible **Cadian Heresy**. Upon the Golden Throne the decaying carcass of the Emperor of Mankind shed a single tear and called upon his splintered consciousnesses across time to search for a saviour that will stop the desolation upon his holy Imperium. There would only be war fueled by greed and pride.


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Ok second chapter, now we introduce a character from our timeline and how he would be eventually led to the clusterfuck in the 41st mil. We'll be posting chapters frequently but it'll slow down later on. I hope you guys gives us reviews and comments on how this story should go on.**

It was his _Tenth Edition How to Speak Latin_ textbook that woke him up. Professor Williams, a tall thin man in his mid-forties spotted one of his students in the front row sleeping during the lecture. Noticing this, he suddenly stopped his lecture and quietly walked towards the sleeping student. The student's textbook lay in front of him, closed. Williams quietly picked up the textbook, a massive 6 inch thick hard cover textbook and then dropped it onto the student's desk, producing a very loud thud that immediately woke up Marcus. Marcus in his sleep deprived mind sat up to the sudden loud thud. He turned his head left and right, his vision blurry and saw a tall figure standing in front of him. "Anna is that you?" Marcus said, his speech slurred. "No Mr. Chou, it's me Professor Williams. Wake the fuck up already and pay attention." he said walking away. Marcus rubbed his eyes and grabbed his notebook and pen, the cycle that is student life continued.

With a sigh Marcus took a seat. He sat in his university's library. Marcus Chou was a tall nineteen year old male with short straight black hair. He and his friend Cory were in the library looking over their assignment. Professor Williams had given them them a literary critique of Latin texts of the student's choosing. "Give me a sec to freshen up. The hangover's still there and it's a fucking bitch to deal with." Marcus said as he drank nearly half of the water in his bottle. Last night he and Cory were out drinking at one of frat parties and Marcus being his usual idiotic self decided to challenge the jocks to a drinking game. He barely won, beating them by gulping down one more shot of tequila than they could but not before completely emptying the contents of his bowel, namely his dinner onto the floor. He and Cory both drunkenly staggered back to their dorm. "Shit dude I still can't believe that you would drink that much. Seriously thirteen shots, what are you, a super mutant or something?" Cory asked. Marcus shook his head, "I'm just mother fucking awesome that's all." He replied with a grin at the end.

Like the Dark Gods, space and time mattered little to him. What did matter to him was how much it fucking hurt to sit upon this over glorified golden porta potty. _Holy fucking shit maybe I shouldn't have been merciful to Horus and instead just rammed my sword into his bald shiny shitfaced head_ the Emperor thought. While his rotting corpse was sitting on the Golden Throne, the Emperor's consciousness drifted in the warp. _Holy fucking shit if I ever encounter Horus I'm gonna ram my fiery sword so far up his ass he would-_ his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of another ethereal figure. A massive purple mass of tentacles and eyes appeared. The Emperor recognized it as Tzeentch. "Holy shit I forgot how ugly you are. Da fuck are you doing here Tzeentch?" The Emperor asked. "I'm here on a visit! Or maybe I'm not? Maybe I'm just here to mindfuck you with my overly complicated schemes? Maybe not, who knows?" The God rambled, floating around like the ugly mass it is. "Ugh not this shit again. Last time you tried to fuck with me that armless albino called Failbaddon got noscoped by a puny Cadian guardsman." He was interrupted by a disturbance in the Warp. "Da fuck was that?!" The Emperor said out loud. He floated towards the disturbance and saw...a human male. In his mind the Emperor recognized the man as a piece of his consciousness, which had fractured during his battle against the Void Dragon. _Holy fucking shit I actually can't believe this, I actually found another piece of my consciousness._ He instantly set out to establish a connection with that human.

Marcus was looking through the library's connection for a good read when suddenly an angry voice erupted in his head. _Hey can you hear me you little fucktard?!_ Marcus heard this and looked around but found no one. _It's time that we unite into the once mother fucking awesome guy we once were._ Marcus shook his head, wondering if he just was batshit crazy. _Dude I'm probably going nuts because of shitty sleep and all the alcohol. I really need a girlfriend._ Marcus thought. The Emperor sighed, _Holy fucking shit how low have I fallen? I can't even get some pussy, but apparently I can still drink a shit ton._ He probed the library, an idea running through his head. The Emperor's attention rested upon one piece of Latin literature that he had written in the 15th century for shits and giggles. _HEY DIPSHIT, IF YOU'RE GONNA READ A BOOK READ THIS ONE: "MALLEUS MALEFICARUM". WHEN YOU FIND IT, FUCKING YELL THIS SHIT: "IMPERATOR DE INFERNO SALVUM ME ET LIBERA ME AD VOS". FUCKING DO ALL THIS SHIT OK? REMEMBER, MALLEUS MOTHERFUCKING MALEFICARUM._

While the Emperor was "giving his instructions" to Marcus, the teen himself was ragdolled due to the sheer amount of psychic power flowing around. All that Marcus could clearly was what sounded like "Malleum Male..carum?" it sounded weird to him but he decided to consult Google and cross checking it with the library he found the book: " _Malleus Maleficarum"._ After recovering from the headache he picked up a book only to be thrown onto his back by an invisible force. He tried to get back up but was repeatedly slammed back down. "Motherfucker." he said under his breath. He tried one last time, using all his strength and pushed himself to his feet...until he tripped himself over and fell face first. "Fuck it." he said, finally content with just lying on the ground. _Well at least he has the damn book now._ The Emperor thought, watching all this. "Fucking shit dude did you really have to yell all that out? It's bad enough hearing your thoughts, forget the shit that you're actually yelling." Tzeenetch said approaching him. The Emperor turned to face him "Does it look like I give a shit? Also am I yelling? I might be, I might not be, who knows in the Warp" If Tzeenetch was capable of making facial expression, he would be scowling. "Fuck you cunt." He simply said. "That's more like it." The Emperor replied.

Marcus now in his room, was quietly reading the Malleus Maleficarum, a book written in the fifteenth century in order to provide a guide on how to deal with witches and demons. Flipping through the pages he found the quote that was burning in his mind: "Emperor save me from hell and deliver me to your side." _Who da fuck is this retard talking about? Which emperor? I swear I need to stop drinking and get a proper life, I'm imagining shit._ Marcus thought. The book to him was...interesting to say the least. Not only were the contents full of rich and interesting details, the style in which it was written to him was very poetic and it connected to him on a surprisingly deep level. It almost felt horribly wrong reading about burning witches but it still captivated him. True the writing was very poetic and a truly masterful piece of writing but the ideas in them went against the very fiber of his being. He looked at the quote which he had told himself or whoever it was to say it out loud. Mockingly, irritation audible in his voice, he said "Imperator de inferno salvum me et libera me ad vos". _Ok sure I'll save you_. That was when things went bat shit crazy.


	3. Sins of an Empire

**Hey guys this our third chapter, you'll notice that it switches between different styles of writing. This is because it was written by two people. We believe that it gives a unique feel to the story. Reviews, follows and favorites would be appreciated. Chapter 4 will come soon and it will continue Marcus's story. Enjoy!**

 **Thanks for the reviews JustAnotherAnon and WraithSeer we've fixed some of the inconsistencies to fit the lore.**

" _No man died in His service that died in vain."_

 **Segmentum Obscurus, Scarus Sector**

 **Agri-world Valeria**

 **Population: 900,000,000**

 _Over a century ago Valeria saw one of the worst defeats for the Imperium of Man and the Eldar of Biel Tan. A chaos fleet composed of the Black Legion and Night Lords had approached this world with the intent to claim its resources to feed the crazed masses of Abaddon's dark forces. As the Astartes carried out the wholesome slaughter and harvest of its inhabitants in the name of the Ruinous Powers the Dark Mechanicus brought archeotech so terrible that to speak of those horrors would damn one's sanity. Like livestock the population of Valeria was herded into these machines, their bodies stripped of their souls to power the soul forges while the machines processed all their organic matter into a grey nutrient slurry that would feed the legions of Chaos. Valeria's distress call did not go unheeded but by the time several Imperial Guard regiments and a small strike force from Biel Tan arrived it was too late. However the traitors were still here and they would face the judgement of the Emperor. Fueled by vengeance and rightful disgust the Imperial Guard regiments landed upon Valeria and assaulted the traitors. Their fury and might so great that within five months the majority of Valeria had been reclaimed from the traitors. While the Imperials hammered the traitor forces the Eldar hit and run attacks disrupted the enemy command. It seemed that victory was at hand. However it was upon the treacherous marshes of Valeria that the Imperial juggernaut was shattered. The terrain of the marsh prevented vehicles and troops from travelling more than a few kilometers a day. Using this to their advantage the Night Lords launched raids upon the Imperial forces destroying the trapped vehicles and slowly eroding the morale of the troops. The Imperials were ill prepared to fight in the dense jungle of the marsh and after several raids the full forces of the traitors descended upon the Imperials utterly crushing them in a vicious counterattack. The Eldar had not gone into the marshes like the foolish Imperials however they had made a costly mistake by trusting the Imperials to protect their flank. With the Imperial forces in full disarray the Eldar were open to a counterattack. The Night Lords were quick to use this opportunity to encircle the Eldar from the back while the Black Legion led its assault from the front. The hammer and anvil attack of the traitor legions caught the small Eldar force and without support from the Imperials the Eldar were easily wiped out by the full on assault. With the enemy forces defeated the traitors continued on with their horrors, the bellies of the machines were more bloated with the souls of captured Imperials. Not a single soul was left alive on Valeria after they left. Valeria was soon resettled by the Imperials after Abaddon's forces had been defeated however its population remained ignorant to the the massive defeat and horrors that had been committed. Only the Eldar of Biel Tan remembered and they would soon come to claim their fallen brethren..._

Agri-world Valeria, a small speck in the grand scheme of the Imperium. The great defeat of the Imperials and Eldar to retake this world from the encroaching forces of Abaddon's Traitor Legions had been long forgotten in the ensuing chaos of the Cadian Heresy. The only evidence of the forgotten titanic battles remained buried in the deep jungles of the marshes. Valeria had been resettled with new colonists after the war shortly before the start of the Cadian Heresy. Its population remained ignorant to the terrible defeat suffered by the Imperium and Eldar. However there were buried eldar wrecks containing forbidden knowledge and treasures that could be exploited for the benefit of mankind. It was upon this world that Inquisitor Asmodeus sought to obtain the xenos relics and technology for "future use".

A lone figure stood in the crater of an old shell explosion. Inquisitor Asmodeus, one of the lower ranking Inquisitors of the Ordo Xenos was on one knee, inspecting the ground in front of him. _Warp signatures are stronger here. I must be getting closer._ He looked up and sensed a faint purple path in front of him. _Got the scent, I should be able to find them now._ He picked himself up and activated his portable teleporter beacon, tapping a button on a pad on his augmented arm. Within seconds, two dozen individuals suddenly appeared behind him, the smell of ozone in the air indicated that a teleportation had occurred. "Sergeant, standard formation. The rest of you, follow me." He ordered to the group. The party consisted of two groups: the local excavator team and the Inquisitor's own retinue which consisted of five stormtroopers, a stormtrooper sergeant, a techpriest and a scribe. The platoon slowly moved on foot through the beautiful but deathly silent green fields of Valeria, with the howling winds being the only sounds apart from the heavy footsteps of the Imperials. The fields though gave no sign of life, despite the obvious greenery and vegetation present.

The group stopped at the end of the purple trail that only the inquisitor with his psychic powers could sense. "This is the spot, start digging." Asmodeus ordered, pointing at a patch of land. The servitors and excavators moved to start digging, with the servitors doing most of the heavy work. Nighttime quickly set in, with Valeria's five moons high and bright in the sky. A moment later, the excavation crew found them. _Eldar_ _wraithguards_ Asmodeus noted. "Spread out and keep digging. There's bound to be more of these xenos artifacts." He said to the crew, crossing his arms. Two hours later, a small graveyard was dug up. A dozen wraithguards and numerous corpses of guardians turnt up, remnants of the Eldar force that was completely wiped out on Valeria. _Plenty of soulstones then, this should work nicely_ Asmodeus thought, turning to the excavators. "Bring those xenos machines up here." Asmodeus ordered. The local crew stared at him, their eyes wide with doubt. "What are you deaf or something? Bring the xenos machinery up here." Asmodeus repeated. "But my lord it is heresy to obtain xenos relics. These artifacts must be reported to the governor and destroyed." voiced one of the excavators. "I am confiscating this xenos technology in the name of the Emperor. Do you dare defy a true servant of the Emperor, bitch?" Asmodeus replied. The excavator readied himself for a fight, to him the inquisitor was a heretic that defied the God Emperor's teachings. The defiant excavator looked at the rest of his crew to find their approval. One by one, they nodded, joining him to stop this madness. "Shit! Sergeant open fire!" Asmodeus swore, pulling out his bolter pistol. The first excavator charged at him with a shovel, only to receive the business end of Asmodeus's powersword. It punctured his stomach spilling out the thick red, sinewy intestines into a steaming heap on the ground. Asmodeus kicked him away, and then joined the storm-troopers in gunning down the rest of the excavators. "Let's bury them, it's the least we can do. They were just misguided servants of the Emperor, not heretics." He said with a hint of regret. They quickly and efficiently buried the excavators, their bodies piling up into a single massive grave, one that would be forgotten like the Eldar's. Asmodeus sighed, looking at their grim but necessary work, he returned back to his work prying away the soulstones from the remains of the Eldar. The blood red stones swirled with the souls of the Eldar longing to be released back to the Infinity Circuit. _Do not worry your kind will arrive soon to claim you but such things will come with a price._ With his work done now it was time for Asmodeus and his retinue to return back to the Inquisition base on one of the moons of Valera. That was when all hell broke loose.

The wails of air raid sirens screeched into the once peaceful skies of Valeria shattering the tranquility of the agri-world. Above the skies darkened as thousands of troop transports from a surprise invasion fleet hurtled through the atmosphere unhindered by the meagre defences of the peaceful agri-world. The once proud imperial aquilas on the sides of the transports had been defaced and replaced by the symbol of the Cadian Gate. The invasion of Valeria by the traitorous forces of the **Free Army of Gate Soldiers** otherwise known as the **FAGS**. An eccentric name for an army but one nevertheless that reeked of the Cadian heresy and treachery to the God Emperor of Mankind. With the arrival of the FAGS came their elite shock troops, **Free Army Gate Guarding Operations Troopers** , these elite shock troops were responsible for disrupting the command structure of the Valerian PDF. Without the directives of their superior officers the Valerian PDF quickly crumbled under the disciplined assault of the traitorous guardsmen. Within a few hours of the invasion the capital city of Valeria, Enus, had been captured by the FAGS. The FAGS had struck swiftly at Valeria using the nearby star's gravity well to hide the signatures of the encroaching invasion fleet. It was an excellent tactic one that merits their name.

Lord General Aesly Triggard of the FAGS gazed upon the captive governor, his stern iron gaze did not invoke a sense of fear in the governor of Valeria. The governor stood ever defiant, he would never bow down to any traitorous scum.

"You are a traitor to the Emperor general, you have forsaken the Emperor's grace and love. Do not expect me to betray Him like you heretics, Valeria and her people will never turn their backs on the Holy Emperor for we know that he always protects the faithful."

"Tell me governor was the Emperor ever there on Cadia to stop the demented tides of Chaos as Abaddon and his lackeys desolated its population and great Kasrs? Did he ever protect the untold billions of faithful innocents that were sacrificed in horrendous ways to appease the Dark Gods? If he did ever love humanity why is life the Emperor's currency? It seems that to him the life of the faithful are worthless and expendable. You and your people are nothing to him governor. My forefathers had learnt that lesson well. After the victory against the forces of Chaos and traitor primarchs we thought we had served the Emperor well and earned a place by his side. However it seemed that he had different plans, a decree made by the unanimous decision of the High Lords of Terra had deemed the billions of brave and loyal men that fought in His name against the Archenemy to death or mind wipe. They thought that we had seen too much and had grown quite amicable to the Eldar. Elite forces like the Astartes, Commissariat, Sororitas and Tempestus Scion forces were only mind wiped. However the Imperial Guard was never offered this option our only fate was the cold embrace of death as forgotten sacrifices. To Him and the Lords we were nothing but mere numbers that could be easily erased with a simple signature. Whole sections of Segmentum and Cadian High Command were massacred by their Commissariat and Inquisitorial advisors during the celebrations. While hundreds of guard regiments were wiped out by fellow Astartes, Sororitas and Scions. These regiments would later be listed as lost in action. An irony and a blatant lie. Those more sensible and intelligent like my forefathers took precautions after learning from the First War of Armageddon. We had prepared ourselves and rebelled against the tyranny, this had prevented the rest of these loyal soldiers and innocent civilians from being killed. The rest would be known to you, governor, as the Cadian Heresy. Now governor where was the Emperor's love and protection during this time? He is nothing but a rotting carcass kept barely alive by the arcane technologies of the Golden Throne. We intend to liberate the people of the Imperium from His tyranny and reintroduce values such as democracy, rights and equality. To him and the High Lords it is heresy but to us it is humanity." With that Triggard left the fuming governor in his cell. Valeria would be liberated to join the great republic of the the FAGS. However Triggard was not just here to liberate the planet, there were other things on Valeria that were of great importance.

Asmodeus stared in horror as wave upon wave of ships emerged from behind the star, filling up the skies with their large numbers. "Well we're fucked." With that the liberation of Valeria began. Deep in the fog covered marsh jungles of Valeria a low moan grumbled. The machine spirit of _The Might of Agmar_ awoken. _It is time..._


	4. Big Daddy Bob's in the Hood

**So here's chapter 4, now Marcus is back in the story and we'll be continuing on with him. The eldar will come later on and they will play a major part. We appreciate any reviews, follows and favs. Enjoy!**

" _There are no miracles. There are only men."-Epistles_

 **Segmentum Obscurus, Scarus Sector**

 **Inquisition Outpost, Moon** **Belial** **of** **Valeria**

 **Population:** [Information redacted]

 **Assets:** [Classified]

 _The Emperor protects_

"Sir, our sensors have detected a massive spike in warp energy. It has gone above unprecedented levels. We must take immediate measures sir."

"Check your sensors again techpriest, it may be a side effect caused by the massive fleet warping into this system. We must stop this invasion, order the astropathic choir to immediately send a distress signal. We do not have time to spare."

"Sir, the spike in warp energy is not decreasing it has reached the level to cause a warp rift in reality. Sir, the hexagrammic and aegis wards placed in this facility may be compromised, the surge in warp energy will certainly breach them. Afterwards it will only be a matter of moments till a spatial anomaly appears." reported a techpriest to the inquisitor. Lord Inquisitor Thrax and a techpriest stood in the dark command center, the only light coming from the glow of the cogitators. Lord Inquisitor Thrax was a high ranking member within the Ordo Xenos and oversaw the Inquisition outpost on the moon of Valeria. The rebel attack had come as a surprise to them as they had not expected the FAGS to attack a backwater world such as Valeria. The invasion was large, well equipped and well led but Thrax knew that he could not give up the system, not yet anyway. There was another issue though, the cogitators. The cogitators had picked up a massive spike in warp energy that had not dropped despite the fact that no enemy ships had been warping in for the last two hours. Thrax hoped that the warp energy would stabilize soon. Unfortunately his wish didn't come true.

Inquisitor Asmodeus stepped out of his shuttle which had just landed on the Inquisition's outpost. They had just narrowly escaped from Valeria using the confusion to their advantage. He and his retinue currently waited in a small poorly lit hangar, looking for servitors to refuel their ship. It has been twenty minutes so far and not a single servitor nor person appeared. "Do you think that there's a problem on the outpost sir?" asked the sergeant to the inquisitor. He was sitting down on a crate, nervously holding his hotshot lasgun. The inquisitor didn't respond. He too was sitting on a crate but unlike the sergeant, his eyes were closed. He seemed to be in a deep meditation of some kind. The sergeant decided not to press the inquisitor further with the question. The last thing he needed to do was invoke the psyker's wrath. Suddenly Asmodeus awoke, quickly turning to the sergeant. "Weapons free, do not hesitate to open fire!" he ordered, pulling out his bolt pistol.

Much was going through Lord Inquisitor Thrax's mind, but there was one thought that stood out clearer and louder than the others: he was fucked. In front of him stood a giant blob of oozing pus. It was a Great Unclean One. One moment Thrax and the techpriest were just standing there, the next second the smell of ozone overwhelmed the room. The crack of warp energy discharging from the warp rift quickly followed and the smell of ozone was replaced with that of rotting flesh. It had dark green skin and wielded a massive sword dripping with pus. "Wassup bitches, Big Daddy Bob is in the house!" the monster shouted out loud, its voice booming and jovial. It seemed genuinely happy to be here. "Time to spread some of papa's love! Nurgle loves you all, remember not to bathe!" Bob continued, vomiting and leaking out Emperor knows what onto the floor. Thrax wasted no time, sprinting out the door, which had just opened as he approached it. He continued running, not looking back. He just wanted to get away so that he could formulate a plan to send that...that _thing_ back to the warp. The door at the end of the hall opened and a squad of stormtroopers poured forth. Thrax heard the door behind him get smashed open, the screeching of metal marking Bob's entrance. "Kill that thing!" he ordered the stormtroopers, who wasted no time in pulling out their hotshot lasguns and shooting at the Great Unclean One. The door had just closed behind him when he heard the screams of the dying guards. He looked to his left and saw a loudspeaker terminal. "Attention all personnel, a giant fucking Nurgle demon just warped in! All personnel, arm yourselves and converge on Hanger 2. Defend Hanger 2!"

Thrax saw another panel next to his and decided to check it. It was a security terminal, which showed footage of Inquisitor Asmodeus and his team waiting for clearance. Thrax immediately ran out the room, straight for the inquisitor. He needed all the help he could get.

 _Well shit, I must have rolled badly because this fucker got scattered halfway across the galaxy from Terra. And how the fuck did that sentient trashcan get dragged along on a joyride with him? Well fuck it, he'll just have to deal with this now. Hey Marcus try not to die, that would be a waste of my effort and time._ With these kind and caring words the presence of the Emperor slowly withdrew itself from Marcus's mind.

Marcus found himself face flat on the floor of a room that seemed to be an armory. After saying that stupid latin phrase out loud a purple rift had suddenly opened beside him and he was sucked into it. He lost consciousness during the journey through the rift but the last thing he remembered seeing was a huge green oozing blob following him while shouting "Taxi, wait for me!". He picked himself up, and saw a room full of weapons. _I'm in an armory of some kind but what the fuck are these weapons and who the fuck still uses swords._ The room was poorly lit, with only one white lightbulb. The weapons ranged from M16 esque rifles to completely bizarre items that he could only guess were weapons of some sort. _Well, don't mind if I do_ he thought. He decided to take one of the M16 esque rifles, which in this universe, was just a regular M40 Armageddon pattern autogun. He checked the gun, and as expected, saw that it was empty. He looked around and saw boxes holding what he guessed was ammunition. He opened a box labeled "Autogun Ammunition" since nothing else seemed to match his gun. He couldn't help but smile as he opened the metal box, revealing packets upon packets of brass bullets that were neatly packed. He quickly loaded the rifle with the ammo. It would be good to carry more ammo, but his pockets were hardly an adequate storage place for them. He looked around, and found an armor vest with ammunition pouches. _Perfect, wait why am I suddenly arming myself? I've only shot an AR-15 once at the range and I was a pussy with the recoil. Never mind who fucking cares, best to look like Rambo_. After loading up, he went out and that was when he heard the screaming.

Thrax nearly jumped out of his skin in surprise as he opened the hangar door to suddenly meet a group of armed men pointing weapons at him. He recognized Inquisitor Asmodeus and quickly relaxed. The other inquisitor similarly relaxed, sheathing his bolt pistol. The men approached each other, and then shook each other's hands. "It's good to see you Thrax." Asmodeus began. "Same to you Asmodeus, especially now." The other man replied. Asmodeus's silence beckoned him to continue. "As you probably suspected, something is amiss in the outpost. A Great Unclean One has warped into the station and is causing havoc. I need your help to send it back to the warp."

"Well then. I guess we shouldn't waste any time. Where did you last see it?" Asmodeus asked, pulling out his bolt pistol and power sword. "I think it's in the communications terminal, that's a place to start looking for it at least. It's hard to miss a giant mass of rotting flesh with an equally large sword." Thrax answered, getting his weapons ready. With that, the group left the hangar, weapons at the ready.

Marcus left the armory, getting ever closer to the screams. _Curiosity killed the cat, maybe I should turn around and run like the little bitch I am. Besides those screams don't sound like the people are enjoying it. Maybe I should._ His thoughts were interrupted when the door was smashed open, the Great Unclean One emerging from the doorway. "Here's Johnny! But hey my name is Big Daddy Bob." it said, turning its attention towards Marcus. "Hey aren't you the little fella that gave me a ride here, I don't have cash to pay you but I can give you the gifts of Nurgle. Come, let me give you a hug! Don't be scared little one Big Daddy Bob doesn't bite." Bob said, approaching Marcus. "Aw hell no! Run bitch ruuuuuuuunnnnn!" Marcus yelled, running away from the daemon like a little bitch. Bob gleefully chased him leaving a trail of putrid pus and slime.

Asmodeus and Thrax, starting from the communications room , followed the Great Unclean One's trail, which was easy to find to say the least. The hint lied in how the daemon left a trail of slime and the bodies of the butchered guards. It wasn't long before they heard banging. No, not that kind of banging, that's reserved for the Slaaneshi daemons(HERESY!). The kind where a giant fist was pounding away at solid adamantium. The group ran, finally getting a chance to attack the monster. A minute later, they saw the Great Unclean One, in all its glory banging at the armory door. The armory door was made out of solid adamantium, but it was buckling under the immense strength of the daemon. It broke down the door, resulting in metal crashing loudly onto the floor. It was about to enter the armory when a large bang, immediately followed by a blinding light followed it. The beast was temporarily blinded, wailing in surprise. Shots followed, though like rain splashing on a river, they had no effect. The inquisitors quickly took this chance to charge at the beast, with the stormtroopers behind them. Thrax buried his power axe into Bob's back, hacking away to reach the spine. Meanwhile Asmodeus climbed on the daemon and then started stabbing it in the head. All these attacks had little effect on Bob, his corrupted and bloated thick skin prevented the weapons from penetrating deeper than a few centimeters. Asmodeus needed something else, they wouldn't be able to kill the Great Unclean One at this rate. That was when he had a sudden brilliant idea, he could bait the daemon and vent it out into space through the hangars. Asmodeus started yelling "Hey daemon, fun fact: Tzeentch is way better than Nurgle!" That got Bob's attention, but it soon lost interest as it focused itself on the scrawny human carrying an autogun run out of the armory towards the hangar hysterically screaming "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" repeatedly. "Well fuck it, that bastard is the bait now. At least he's running in the correct direction." Asmodeus swore out loud. They chased the daemon, which was now howling in anger rather than laughing gleefully like it did before. Marcus found himself in a hangar, but then he also saw Bob entering the hangar. "Fuck." he swore, aiming his autogun. He didn't have time to shoot though, as the hangar doors suddenly opened, sucking in both him and the daemon. _Shit. I'm gonna die in space! I don't wanna die a virgin!_ He thought. As he desperately held onto a cable line on the floor. He lost his grip though and was sent flying into the hangar doors. He closed his eyes, terrified out of his mind. He suddenly halted though, seemingly held by nothing. He opened his eyes and saw two men, their hands stretched out towards him. He looked at himself and saw that he was surrounded by a purple field of some sort. Bob continued howling in anger as it was pulled out into space. "Fuck you mother fucking cunts! Papa Nurgle and I are gonna get you for this! You gonna receive payback from Big Daddy Bob and his niggas." He screamed for the last time before he was forever lost in space. A stormtrooper quickly closed the hangar doors, allowing the inquisitors to gently place Marcus onto the floor. For a full minute, Marcus simply stayed there on the floor, not believing that he was still alive. At the same time, the inquisitors stopped to rest, their minds exhausted. Marcus picked himself up and walked towards the group. The inquisitors also stood up, and looked at Marcus. "Who the fuck are you?" the three men asked each other at the same time.


	5. Past Relics

" _Honor his servants, for they speak in His voice."_

 **Segmentum Obscurus, Scarus Sector**

 **Inquisition Outpost, Moon** **Belial** **of** **Valeria**

 **Population:** [Information redacted]

 **Assets:** [Classified]

 _The Emperor protects_

"So let me get this straight, you're a student at a Schola or university as you put it, and you just suddenly appeared here after reading a book?!" Asmodeus said incredulously. He, Thrax and Marcus all sat in the command center of the outpost. Currently, Marcus was explaining his circumstances and everything that had happened to him, meanwhile Asmodeus and Thrax stood opposite to him, taking in what to them seemed to be the craziest story ever. The college student started with his Latin class, then the encounter with the Emperor and the following "trip" and finally his version of the events of the Unclean One's attack on the outpost. After listening to his story, the two inquisitors walked out of the room to discuss the matter in private. "What do you think? Is he lying?" Thrax asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. "I don't think so…I feel a psychic presence in him…it's an almost familiar presence. I can't help but believe that he truly has a connection to the Emperor as he said so. A connection that makes even our relative strong link weak in comparison." Asmodeus said, still trying to probe Marcus from a distance with his psychic powers. "What do you think? You're the senior Inquisitor here." Asmodeus began, focusing his attention on Thrax. "I do believe you're right. I likewise detect a familiar presence in him. The best thing that we can do is simply detain him until the higher-ups can check him more thoroughly." The other inquisitor responded. "Fair enough, but that may be a difficult thing to do." Asmodeus said, referring to the invasion of Valeria. "I wouldn't be surprised if they were to find us soon. We should start evacuating now." Thrax said. "I'm guessing that we'll have to go to Cartha, the capital of this sector." Asmodeus said, leaving the room. Thrax simply nodded, his thoughts still focused on how they could reverse the invasion.

"So what happens now?" Marcus asked Asmodeus. The two stood in a shuttle, while everyone else on the outpost was busy evacuating. "We're just gonna post guards around you, just in case. It's nothing personal kid, we're just not sure what to do with you. All I can say is don't do any funny shit. The higher-ups will decide what to do with you." Asmodeus responded, checking his data slate. "Ok, I have another question, where am I?" Marcus asked. During his time with the inquisitors, he had only been answering questions, instead of asking them. Now was his time to do so. "You're in Scarus Sector of the Segmentum Obscurus, all part of the Imperium of Man." Asmodeus explained, his eyes glued on the data slate. "What's the Imperium of Man? Is that a country?" Marcus pressed, still confused. Asmodeus was now getting annoyed. All he wanted to do was ensure a smooth transition from the outpost to Cartha. He didn't want to babysit this kid. He sighed and turned to the student. "Look kid, let me just make it simple so that you can just shut up. The Imperium of Man is a vast interstellar empire in which most of humanity resides. It is led by the glorious Emperor of Mankind, who both leads and has founded the Imperium. We're in one of those many star systems that make up this empire. Got it?" The inquisitor said sharply, wanting to end the conversation. "Fair enough actually, and you guys are a secret police of some kind?" Marcus responded, crossing his arms. Asmodeus narrowed his eyes. "What made you think of that?" The inquisitor asked. "It's kinda obvious. You guys are on a super secretive outpost with a ton of equipment and data. If this was a simple moon station it wouldn't be this large and heavily guarded." Marcus explained. Asmodeus was actually impressed. Clearly this kid was a lot smarter than he let on. He was about to respond when the klaxons blared a warning. Asmodeus immediately ran out of the shuttle, heading towards the command room.

"What happened?" Asmodeus asked Thrax as he entered the room. The older inquisitor turned to face him, "We're being attacked by the FAGS." Asmodeus gave Thrax a confused look. "Did I hear that correctly?" The Ordo Xenos inquisitor asked. "Yes, we're being attacked by the Free Army of Gate Soldiers otherwise known as the FAGS." Thrax explained, aware of the rather odd name. Asmodeus slapped his hand onto his head, clearly showing annoyance. "I swear these fucking immature authors…they're probably hiding their own insecurities…" The man muttered under his breath. "What was that?" Thrax asked, not hearing what Asmodeus just said. "It's nothing. Anyway, the evacuation is only 40% underway, we need more time to load the Dauntless light cruiser." Asmodeus said, moving on. "Agreed, they've currently breaching hanger 5. I need you to go there and stop them. I'll watch over the rest of the evacuation." Thrax ordered, turning to his screen. Asmodeus simply nodded and ran off into the action.

Sergeant Harkon has been through a lot and today was no different. He and his Stormtroopers, all part of the outpost's defense force fought back against the invaders. They couldn't do much against the landing shuttles as anything powerful enough to destroy them would compromise the hangar's integrity. All they could do was simply shoot the occupants as they exited the shuttles. Unfortunately the Stormtroopers were suppressed by the multilaser and heavy bolter arrays located on the shuttles. Very quickly, the hangar was a vicious battleground, with both sides pouring intense amounts of firepower against each other. Slowly though, the Stormtroopers were pushed back, the sheer number of enemies slowly overwhelming them. That was until Asmodeus showed up. He ran past them, power sword, bolter in hand and the litany of hate on his lips. He charged, rather fearlessly towards the enemy. The first man he approached tried to shoot him with his lasgun, but Asmodeus simply dodged the shot and quickly swiped, cutting off the man's arm. The trooper screamed in pain but quickly dropped, blood pouring from the wound. The inquisitor shot two more approaching troopers in the head. He continued charging into the ranks of the rebels, increasingly a whirlwind of death and dismembered limbs, avoiding las shots and then quickly cutting the heretics down. The inquisitor chuckled, almost enjoying the carnage he was unleashing on the enemy. As he advanced, so did the Stormtroopers, who now took out each rebel with deadly accuracy. The rebels started faltering, their advance halted by the inquisitor's furious assault. Asmodeus grinned even further as he cut down another trooper, stabbing his power sword right through the rebel's heart. He then kicked the corpse away, looking at the remaining traitors who were now retreating to their shuttles. The Stormtroopers started surrounding the inquisitor, waiting for his instructions. "Status report sergeant." Asmodeus demanded, turning to the troopers. "My lord, the enemy has breached hangar 4 and reached the power station. They've somehow disabled the power to the controls and defence turrets, which explains why the command center simply couldn't just close the hangars. As you know, hangar 5 is currently in our hands, though I would expect more to arrive." The soldier responded, showing the inquisitor a map. "Sergeant, take half of the men and guard this area, contact me when you're being overwhelmed. The rest of you, follow me. We're gonna close these hangars down."

Asmodeus led the group, weapons at the ready. They were currently moving through the hall that would lead them to the power room. They reached the door but suspiciously had not encountered any resistance beforehand. Asmodeus only using his hand quickly ordered for a breaching action, with each half of the group taking a side on the door. A trooper placed an explosive on the door, while another one prepped a flashbang. The charge disabled the door's securities, immediately opening the door. The trooper with the grenade followed, tossing the grenade in and waiting for the bang. The squad and inquisitor charged in, guns at the ready. The imperials sprayed las bolts and bolter rounds into the room, peppering the room's occupants with rounds of death. The entire encounter was over within seconds. The loyalists filed out, occupying the room. "The room's clear my lord." A Stormtrooper reported, turning to the inquisitor. Asmodeus nodded, walking towards the power room's main terminal. He quickly inspected it, trying to find anything unusual or any new devices recently added. Looking underneath the screen panel he found a small rectangular piece of metal attached to the terminal. He opened up the terminal and saw the piece of metal must have been a hacking aid of some sort, as the terminal's security was bypassed. Asmodeus removed the device and quickly punched in the command to close the hangar doors, and the satisfying sound of the hangar doors closing followed. Now to head back to the command center.

Asmodeus had just entered the room when Thrax immediately started talking, "Good job closing the hangars, but I'm afraid we have a bigger problem." Asmodeus's silence beckoned him to continue. "The attack is coming from a Dictator class cruiser, which has only been launching probing attacks thus far." Thrax continued, his eyes still glued to the terminal. Thrax still had more to say though, "Unless we take out that ship, we'll be damn lucky to have even a single shuttle make it out to reach Cartha." Asmodeus sighed, already seeing what needed to be done. "Let me guess, you want me to take one of their shuttles and sabotage the ship?" Asmodeus said, crossing his arms. "Unfortunately yes, that is the only option I can see. Since you'll be using their shuttle and with our counter-intelligence technology we can fool them. Unless of course, you want to be shot for considering surrender." Thrax said, finally turning to face Asmodeus. "No thanks, I wasn't thinking of surrendering anyway. You do realize that the attack party's chances of survival or success are low right? Their ship has a higher troop value than us." The younger inquisitor said, trying to think of a way around this. "I'm perfectly aware, but we're servants of the Emperor are we not? Isn't dying for Him a part of the job description?" Thrax countered, already seeing how Asmodeus was trying to get out of this. Asmodeus simply nodded, turning to choose his attack party. "Hey Thrax if I don't make it…lobotomize that kid for me will you? He's annoying as fuck." Asmodeus said over his shoulder, walking out the door. "Of course." Thrax said, organizing the rest of the evacuation.

The entire attack party consisted of the vast majority of the outpost's defense force, which was surprisingly large given the outpost's size. Asmodeus knew that he was a competent fighter, and his fears of dying on solid land almost never appeared because of his skill. However being fighting in the cramped corridors of a spaceship secretly unnerved him, as this was an entirely different situation. All he could do was hope that they would make it through this whole ordeal. He had meant what he said about Marcus being an annoying and inquisitive bitch, but at the same time…the aura he projected was interesting to say the least, and Asmodeus was still curious as to what the nature of this aura was. "Approaching the enemy cruiser now. ETA 10 minutes." A robotic voice blared from the speakers. The crew sat in deathly quiet anticipation, as they awaited how the enemy ship's commander received their message. The plan was to simply storm the ship using their own ships and transport codes. Asmodeus hoped that the old codes that they had obtained would let them through. Although none of them would admit it, each individual in the shuttle could only hear the beating of their own hearts, which rang loudly in their ears. "Codes received...It's an older code, but it checks out. You may proceed. Freedom to humanity brothers." A male voice rang through, which was immediately followed by a collective sigh of relief. "If we make it through this alive, drinks are on me." Asmodeus said to the crew, smiling. All the Stormtroopers grinned and nodded, their confidence bolstered. "Now, let's show these motherfucking heretics the power of the Inquisition." The inquisitor said, as he readied for battle.

The Inquisition showed no mercy to the FAGS on the _Honor of Moab_ as the Stormtroopers first threw smoke, eliminating any chances of them being picked off as they left the shuttle. Asmodeus led from the front, power sword out and humming with power. Running through the smoke, he overcharged his refractor shields to absorb any incoming las shots. He cut down the first trooper he saw, shooting the man in the head with his bolt pistol. A clean kill. More followed, with the inquisitor either blasting heretics or cleaving through them with his sword. The Stormtroopers followed closely, supporting the inquisitor with their hotshot lasguns.

It wasn't long before they reached the engine room, which had the potential to be the most volatile and explosion worthy. The group faced a large set of double doors, which refused to open to them. "I guess all the noise we made while moving through the ship has caused a lockdown. What do you think Al?" Asmodeus said to the sergeant. "I would concur sir, I recommend we use timed charges to not risk blowing up the engines prematurely." Al responded, getting ready to enact the maneuver. Asmodeus nodded, giving permission for the maneuver.

The breach was typical: disable the door, flashbang everyone inside, and shoot all the occupants. The Stormtroopers worked quickly, placing explosives on various parts of the engine with the intent of maximizing the damage to the point of annihilating or crippling the ship. Asmodeus aided the troops, placing a charge on a part of the plasma generator, when suddenly he heard two bolter rounds go off. He turned to see two troopers who were guarding the doorway have their guts splattered across the deck as bolter rounds blew them into pieces. Asmodeus unsheathed this bolter and sword, readying himself for the fight. A massive figure emerged. The large figure was none other than a space marine. _Shit._ Asmodeus thought as he looked at the giant. The Astartes ordered his men back and beckoned for Asmodeus to step forward into the hall. _He's challenging me to a fight?!_ The inquisitor thought as he slowly stepped out.

Asmodeus and the space marine faced off, their blades unsheathed and humming with power. The Astartes's armor was blue with hints of silver and green, a three headed snake was inscribed on his pauldron. The warrior was helmetless; he bore many scars on his face, and a piercing look made his stare intimidating to any lesser being. Asmodeus was no such low life. He grinned, confident in his abilities but nevertheless cautious. The space marine attacked first, outright charging straight towards the inquisitor. Asmodeus quickly jumped out of the way, avoiding a quick slash from the space marine. The hall was cramped and didn't allow much room to fight. At this rate, Asmodeus would be red paint all over the walls unless he found a way to quickly kill the space marine. The marine slashed again, which the inquisitor jumped back to dodge, but then quickly used the opening to attack, his power sword launching a quick slash at the marine. The giant hopped back, barely avoiding the blade. Asmodeus pressed the attack, continuously slashing and forcing the marine back. The two faced each other again, both poised to strike. Asmodeus attacked again, but this time his blade was blocked and locked into place by the Astartes's blade. The inquisitor knew that he could not match the superior strength of the space marine, but he needed to hold on just long enough to carry out the rest of his plan. Using his free left arm he quickly tried shooting the marine, which unsurprisingly resulted in the giant getting really furious. The space marine kicked Asmodeus back, giving the Astartes the window he needed. He chopped off Asmodeus's left arm, resulting in nothing more than a grunt. The whole moment though made the space marine temporarily lower his guard. Asmodeus quickly lunged and stabbed the space marine's waist, piercing through his armor and organs. Asmodeus quickly pulled his blade out using his foot and stabbed again and again. The inquisitor stabbed the superhuman multiple times until he staggered. This allowed the inquisitor to quickly slice off both of the warrior's arms, an action that has resulted in the super human bellowing in pain. "Who…who are you…" the space marine asked, now on his knees. "Who the fuck am I? I am the emperor's final judgement bitch!" Asmodeus said while shooting the giant multiple times in the head with his bolt pistol. The Inquisition's Stormtroopers quickly surrounded Asmodeus, tending to him. "I'm fine men, I planned for him to cut off my augmented arm, it is less painful that way. I'll just get it replaced later. Let's just get the hell out of here." The inquisitor explained, noticing the wound leaking oil and various fluids.

Thrax sighed in relief as he saw the enemy Cruiser explode in a bright light. He immediately ran to the docked Dauntless Mk-2 light cruiser, the evacuation was now complete. "I swear old man, if we get through this war alive…I'm gonna go to the whore house for a week. Fuck the fact that it's heresy." Thrax heard Asmodeus's voice in his comm. Thrax grinned, also happy that Asmodeus was alive. They might make it through the war alive after all. "Technically it's not, that is if you obtain proof that you're a normal citizen, not a slaaneshi worshipper. But given our status, I don't think that's too hard either." Thrax replied, grinning. He heard a chuckle from Asmodeus, apparently pleased that Thrax supported him in his decision. "So what now?" The whore loving man said, his voice strained. "We go to Cartha, and fight the heretics." He said, looking at the planet on the star map.

Somewhere in the asteroid belt between Valeria and Cartha a webway gate unused since the climax of the 13th Black Crusade activated. Two Shadow class cruisers painted in the white and green of Craftworld Biel Tan emerged. Their holofields protecting them from any augur readings. "Farseer Macha, we have arrived within reach of the mon'keigh world of Valeria. It seems that the graceless mon'keigh warships have not detected us." said the guardian to Macha. "Very well then, it is finally time to bring our fallen brothers and sisters to rest in the Infinity Circuit. May Kaela Mensha Khaine guide us." the farseer replied. "Farseer, there is a mon'keigh light cruiser bearing the sigil of the inquisition steadily approaching our position. It seems that it is not aware of us. What shall we do?". "Prepare to engage and board the light cruiser. I do not want any of those mon'keigh inquisitors interfering with our work." Macha replied. However she felt an unsettling discomfort within her, there was something on that mon'keigh ship, a faint mon'keigh psychic presence that concealed raw power and potential. A threat perhaps or one that could be manipulated to further the Eldar's goals. She would soon find out...


	6. Why You Shouldn't Choose Apple

" _Heed His wisdom for He will protect you from evil."-Imperial hymnal_

 **Segmentum Obscurus, Scarus Sector**

 **Carthanian Asteroid Belt, 0.82 AU from Cartha**

 **Population:** [None]

 _The Emperor protects_

Marcus struggled to focus on the voice of the Emperor, while also feeling a searing pain that resembled a hot metal rod being stabbed through his head. _You got that dipshit?_ The Emperor said, startling Marcus. _No, I feel like I'm dying._ Marcus replied in his mind, slowly getting a handle over his pain. _Pussy. Let me go over it one more time with you. You're going to be attacked by xenos known as eldar from the Craftworld of Biel-Tan. If those pathetic excuses for inquisitors don't believe you you'll end up dead. I'll have to step in to stop this shit._ The Emperor explained, his monotone but commanding voice resonating in Marcus's mind. _Well then let's get this party started._ Marcus replied in his mind before waking up.

Marcus sprang out of his bed in surprise. He was panting, cold sweat pouring down his face and his heart beating rapidly like a drum. He took a moment to calm down, sitting upright in the bed and looked at his surroundings, the simple but dark cell was a surprisingly soothing presence. The room itself was spartan, consisting of just one bed and a toilet. He walked over to the entrance, activating the panel near the door. "I need to talk to the inquisitors. It's extremely urgent. We are in danger!" Marcus screamed into the vox. "Lord Inquisitor Thrax and Inquisitor Asmodeus will not be entertaining any visitors at the moment. Just shut the fuck up and stay still until we reach Cartha kid." The guard replied, his tone more annoyed than anything else. "Fuck you! I have a message from Da Emp, it's urgent!" Marcus pressed on, getting angry. "What the fuck is Da Emp?" The guard asked incredulously, seriously confused. "The Emperor! The motherfucking Emperor of Mankind!" Marcus was now yelling, getting really pissed off. The guard simply cut the feed, preventing any communication from occurring. "Kid must be bloody insane, he thinks he's receiving messages from the Emperor himself." the guard muttered to himself.

The same guard who was watching over Marcus's room received a unpleasant surprise when the cell door started heating up and turned bright orange. He turned to see a sight that he never thought was possible. The door itself was slowly melting,the 10cm thick adamantium door melting into a liquid-like goop that started falling towards the floor. The guard's eyes widened as Marcus stepped through the gap, his hands surrounded by flames. "Where are the fucking inquisitors you twat?" Marcus demanded, his eyes glowing a menacing bright blue that clearly showed the threat of a painful death to the guard. "They're at the bridge...last right at the end of the hall, just keep doing straight and you'll see a large set of double doors. Just go through and you'll be at the bridge." The guard stuttered, still not believing what he just saw. Marcus simply nodded and walked off, heading towards the bridge.

Thrax's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to see a familiar figure enter the bridge. Marcus slowly walked towards the inquisitors, every step deliberate and calculated. A golden halo surrounded his head and an aquamarine glow shone from his eyes. Asmodeus too was surprised, his eyes full of disbelief. "I'm guessing you pieces of shit are Asmodeus and Thrax?" Marcus asked, his voice deep and powerful, completely unlike the scrawny little kid. It was almost like as if a powerful entity had temporarily taken over him. "That's us alright. Who might you be, daemon?" Asmodeus replied, stepping closer with his sword drawn to what he assumed was Marcus. "You dare call me a daemon! I am the Emperor of Mankind! I've temporarily taken over Marcus because his body is the only vessel that can hold my essence for short periods of time. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to take over his body but since that asshole guard wouldn't let him through, I decided to take things into my own hands." The Emperor explained, righteous anger evident in his voice. "Listen here you little shits. The eldar have entered this system and are stealthily approaching your cruiser. They have three goals: to get their soulstones back, to kill you both and to capture Marcus as they're terrified of his psychic potential." The Emperor explained, looking out in the distance. However, none of them could have moved to prepare for the attack as the Eldar opened fire first, the bright blue flashes of the void shield absorbing the eldar weapons fire announced the xenos presence.

* * *

"Farseer, our starcannons have managed to score several hits upon the unsuspecting mon'keigh ship. Their void shields will soon be depleted."

"Excellent work exarch, prepare the boarding teams. Once their void shields are down teleport them into the mon'keigh ship. I want them to disable the warp engines to prevent the ship from escaping. I will personally lead a team of banshees to kill the inquisitors." Macha replied. She had consulted the runes beforehand but they did not reveal anything. Her ability to see into the future was severely limited since she sensed that psychic presence. The faint psychic signature on the mon'keigh ship was gone, it was now replaced by an extremely bright and burning presence that threatened to overwhelm her senses. It was as if she was gazing into the burning heart of a star itself. She would need to get hold of whatever it was before the mon'keigh inquisitors exploited it.

* * *

"Shit, they're already here." Asmodeus said, walking towards the command podium. "All crew, to battle stations. I repeat, man your battle stations. We're under attack from the Eldar. Open fire with the macrocannons! Make these xenos pay!" The inquisitor ordered, speaking into the vox. He quickly unsheathed his power sword and bolter pistol, preparing himself for battle. Thrax similarly prepared his power axe and plasma pistol.

"The ship's void shields are depleted my lord. We must immediate measures to avoid the weapons fire. Our armor won't withstand the sheer amount of firepower we are taking, we're completely outgunned by the eldar warships my lord." shouted one of the crewmen overseeing the ship systems. As soon as he said it the eldar cruisers stopped firing.

"What in the name of the God Emperor was that? Why did they stop firing?" Asmodeus asked Lord Inquisitor Thrax. "I do not know Asmodeus. However I suspect that whatever the xenos do next will be far more nefarious." replied Thrax.

"Seriously are you idiots that retarded! Both of you are not worthy of being inquisitors! Look at the goddamn eldar ships, they're getting closer. They are preparing to board us, that initial volley was just to remove the shields. All of you prepare to be boarded! You there immediately contact the generator security crew and tell them to prepare for eldar boarding parties. The eldar will try to disable our engines. I'll head to the engines, you two dipshits defend the bridge we cannot let these xenos capture the ship." shouted Marcus/God Emperor of Mankind. Within a few minutes of the warning being passed through the entire ship the eldar boarded through their lightning strikes.

Harkon gritted his teeth as he fired back at the eldar. He along with his squad and several ratings were guarding the warp engines, unfortunately though minutes later, the doors were struck down with a loud clang. Eldar poured forth, their shuriken catapults blazing. Harkon's hotshot lasgun killed the first eldar that he aimed at, the searing beam of the lasbolt going right through the alien's head, killing him instantly. The rest of the eldar though quickly fanned out, taking cover behind the pipes, continuing to lay a stream of firepower over the stormtroopers' heads. "We're under attack! We need backup! Send more troops here!" Harkon yelled into the vox, predicting that they will be overwhelmed soon. Seeing that more eldar were pouring through the door Harkon primed a frag grenade and held it in his hand. _5...4…3…"_ Die you xenos scum!", with just 2 seconds left on the fuse Harkon threw the grenade right as the eldar reinforcements charged through the door. It landed right in front of the eldar guardians only giving a moment's warning before exploding and shredding them with ragged metal shrapnel. A severed eldar hand torn by the explosion landed right next to Harkon, it was still clutching a primed plasma grenade. Harkon only managed to mumble "Aw, shit!" before the grenade detonated.

* * *

The Emperor led 3 squads of stormtroopers towards the warp engine room. He was itching for a fight. It has been 10,000 years since he whooped Horus's sorry ass and sitting on a golden porta potty for 10,000 years without taking a single dump or a piss makes a person really frustrated from all that unreleased shit. Furthermore watching his glorious Imperium fuck itself over and over didn't help with his pent up anger and frustration. _Fucking eldar, where the fuck are you pansy ass bitches? I'm nearly at the engines and I haven't spotted a single xenos. Hey you! Yeah you, the fuckheads writing this story, stop being lazy with the action scenes and give me something to fight._ The Emperor's wish was immediately fulfilled when he arrived at the entrance of the engine room. He saw a group of eldar guardians charge in just to get blown apart by a cooked grenade. That was when he saw a severed eldar hand still holding a primed plasma grenade land in the middle of a group of stormtroopers hiding behind a coolant pipe. He immediately projected a psychic shield around the grenade to contain the explosion from damaging the pipe. _Well at least I still remember my basic psychic powers. Now time to test my more destructive powers._

Harkon found himself still alive, he had closed his eyes expecting to be whisked away to the God Emperor's side instead he found that the grenade's explosion had been contained by a shield. "Thank the God Emperor, he protects." he mumbled to himself, relieved that he had an unexpected saviour. "Stop thanking me sergeant. Get back to work and start shooting these xenos." Harkon turned his attention towards the source of the command only to find Marcus vaporizing several eldar effortlessly with eldritch lightning bolts. Empowered by Marcus's vicious attacks against the eldar Harkon and the rest of his men laid down a withering hail of lasbolts against the remaining the eldar. Aiming through his advanced auspex system Harkon managed to catch an eldar guardian in the chest with three lasbolts as soon as the guardian popped out from cover to shoot. Under the cover fire of the other three squads Harkon and his squad charged two eldar guardians hiding behind a small stack of crates. Leaping over the crates Harkon managed to surprise the eldar by stabbing a bayonet into its stomach and shooting a lasbolt at its stomach afterwards. The other eldar managed to get off a couple shots from its shuriken catapult at one of the charging stormtroopers but all shots failed to penetrate the thick carapace armor. Suck it AP5. The other eldar soon found itself taking 2 bayonets and a spray of lasbolts at point blank range. As the imperial forces gained momentum the eldar found themselves cornered in the engine room with no way of escape. Their plan to sabotage the engines had failed miserably when the Emperor arrived with reinforcements.

The Emperor charged into the remaining pocket of eldar troops cowering behind the power conduits. Using his amplified psychic might he propelled himself over the power lines and landed in the midst of the 12 eldar. The eldar opened fire upon him as soon as he landed but the crystal shards from their weapons were held in place by the psychic shield the Emperor protected himself. Sensing the opportunity the Emperor propelled all the the shards back at the eldar easily shredding them into pieces. _Damn my powers are still overpowered as usual, I feel like a goddamn Mary Sue. Maybe the authors just want me to finish the action scenes quickly. Those lazy fucks._ With the eldar in the engine room dead the Emperor took extra care to collect all their soulstones. "Sergeant collect all these eldar soulstones, afterwards contact the navigator and initiate a micro warp jump. We need to get away from these eldar warships to prevent any further boarding actions." he ordered Harkon who later went to one of the vox panels. "My lord we've got confirmation from the navigator that we'll be initiating a micro warp jump within 3 minutes. However he warns that we could overshoot Cartha because it is too close and our gellar fields are not fully ready yet my lord, we could have a daemonic incursion." replied Harkon, urgency and worry evident in his voice. The Emperor however could not be dissuaded "Tell him to go ahead we cannot let these eldar gain a foothold on our ship. Do not worry about the daemons, sergeant, I will project a protective field around the entire vessel." Within the moment the Emperor prepared his psychic defences to project a shield around the entire vessel. It would be extremely taxing and he wasn't sure if he would have enough energy left to remain in Marcus. However he would try as this was their only hope against outrunning the eldar warships. Will he have enough of a presence left after this?

Meanwhile Farseer Macha faced off against Asmodeus and Thrax. All three warriors had their weapons out and ready. Macha charged, slashing at Thrax. The older inquisitor barely blocked the attacks, catching onto them at the last second and then parried them away. Asmodeus stepped back, waiting for an opening. Thrax and Macha's blades crossed, the energies from their swords sending sparks flying. With a free hand, Macha sent a small psychic blast at Thrax's face, temporarily blinding him. Asmodeus moved in from behind, his power sword ready to lunge at her. Macha anticipated this; she slammed her fist onto the floor, resulting in a large psionic blast that pushed both Thrax and Asmodeus away. Asmodeus slammed into the wall, the force and pain so great that he released his blade and pistol. Thrax was less fortunate the psionic blast propelled him headfirst against a bridge panel and left him unconscious with a bleeding forehead. Asmodeus was about to pick himself up when he suddenly heard a mechanical voice blare from the vox, "Warning: Initiating micro-warp jump in 5...4...3...2...1...The Emperor Protects.". Everyone in the room instantly felt the force of the warp jump as they were ragdolled across the bridge. Asmodeus unfortunately suffered the most as his unprotected head directly slammed into the wall, knocking him out cold instantly. A moment later, the three stopped ragdolling. Macha picked herself up, looking around at her surroundings. She saw the monkeigh inquisitor on the floor unconscious. Now was her chance. Macha slowly approached the prone inquisitor, ready to behead him. She raised her blade, holding it with both hands. Her blade stopped halfway though, as she felt a powerful presence enter the room. She turned to face the Emperor. Marcus/the Emperor, his hands wrapped in holy fire and a large cluster of stormtroopers behind him. Macha gulped as she felt the Emperor gather his power, the arcane energies of the Immaterium started to overwhelm her senses. "Time to go super saiyan motherfucker." Marcus/the Emperor said. He stood, legs spread apart, arms tucked in. He exhaled, and a giant halo of golden light surrounded him, Macha felt his power increase exponentially and could only helplessly watch this juggernaut become even more powerful. It was like staring into a bottomless well of power, which only continued to feed the mon'keigh psyker. The Emperor let out another powerful scream, it intensified the brightness of the golden halo around him. His body changed too: he was expanding, the skinny human now turning into an overly-muscled powerhouse with blond hair. Macha couldn't handle it anymore; she felt like she was going to pass out from the simply baffling amounts of psychic power being drawn...then she heard something fizz away. She blinked, unsure what just happened. She looked again at the Emperor and saw that the golden halo around him was fading. "What the…" Marcus/the Emperor said, noticing the sudden drop in power. He checked the smartwatch on his arm and saw what was happening, "Shit! I'm at five percent battery! Fucking overpriced piece of Apple garbage, I should have chosen Samsung." The Emperor screamed, realizing that he only had a short amount of time left in Marcus's body. "Fuck it, at the very least I can smash her weapons and armor!" The Emperor said, channeling what power he had left into the palm of his hands. "Kaaaammeeeeekaameehaaa!" The psyker yelled at the end, sending a large blast at Macha. The farseer couldn't dodge the blast, and simply stood there, taking all the damage. After the smoke cleared up, Macha could see that her blade was shattered, only the hilt remained. Her shuriken pistol was also similarly destroyed, leaving only the grip intact. Her armor was similarly ruined, all the wraithbone had be charred away leaving her with the undersuit. _Well I gotta go and recharge, my job is done here. You take care of her Marcus. Try not to die._ The Emperor said in Marcus's mind. "Wait what?!" The younger man replied, realizing what was going to happen. _Bye!_ And with that, the Emperor's presence and power disappeared, reverting Marcus's body to normal. Marcus realized that now it was only him, the eldar farseer and the stormtroopers in the room. The soldiers immediately pointed their guns at the eldar, who was looking for a way out. Marcus decided to minimize the bloodshed, and said, "You're trapped like a rat farseer. Just surrender now and we can all get out of this alive." Macha simply gave back a blank stare, not believing what she had just heard. Marcus nodded, "You heard that right bitch. I'm actually giving you a chance to surrender. Besides, even you can't dodge twenty hotshot lasguns pointed at you." Macha didn't reply though, as a sudden bolt of energy hit her square in the chest, knocking her out cold. Marcus turned to see one of the stormtroopers' taser smoking. "Don't worry sir. I just knocked her out for a while." The trooper explained, blowing out the smoke from his taser. Marcus walked forward, checking the main panel on the bridge. Thank the Emperor for transferring a lot of his knowledge to him, Marcus was able to read the map on the panel. It took him exactly two seconds to realize that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere, lightyears away from their destination. "Well sergeant, when will the warp engines be ready for a jump again." Marcus asked Harkon. "Sir, I believe it should be ready within the 2 hours for a jump." replied Harkon. "Very well then sergeant, take the eldar to one of the cells protected by psychic wards. Have 2 squads posted to guard her and bring in some medicae personnel I believe the inquisitors need some medical attention."


End file.
